Israeli agency gave Australia the tip on Zygier

Tom Allard
Published: February 23, 2013 - 3:00AM

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ISRAEL'S intelligence services were the first to notify Australian officials that Ben Zygier - dubbed Prisoner X - had been detained for serious offences under the country's national security laws, Fairfax Media has learnt.

Mr Zygier, an alleged Mossad agent and dual Australian-Israeli citizen, was in solitary confinement in Israel's maximum security Ayalon prison for 10 months before he reportedly hanged himself in December 2010.

Speculation about who knew what, and when, has been rife since the sensational revelation that Prisoner X was Mr Zygier.

Much of the media reporting has said that ASIO not only informed the Australian mission in Tel Aviv of Mr Zygier's detention but interrogated him before he was detained.

But a well-placed source familiar with the case said Israeli intelligence - understood to be its internal security service, Shin Bet - had in fact tipped off Australian officials first.

And this week, Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, issued a statement saying ''the late Mr Zygier had no contact with the Australian security services'', a view backed by Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus.

''The Israeli Prime Minister has issued a statement noting that Mr Zygier had no contact with Australian security agencies and explaining that there is excellent co-operation, full co-ordination and complete transparency between the government of Israel and the government of Australia,'' his spokesman said.

''The Attorney-General has been fully briefed by the Director-General of ASIO on his agency's knowledge of this case. The Director-General's account is entirely consistent with the recent statement issued by the Israeli Prime Minister.''

The positive depiction of relations between the two countries' intelligence services at the time stands in contrast to the public anger of then prime minister Kevin Rudd that Mossad agents had been using Australian passports, including during the assassination of a Hamas operative in Dubai just before Mr Zygier's arrest.

An Israeli diplomat - believed to be a Mossad agent - was subsequently expelled from Israel's embassy in Canberra.

While Australia's spies may not have contacted Mr Zygier directly, there is evidence he was being monitored.

This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/national/israeli-agency-gave-australia-the-tip-on-zygier-20130222-2ex3a.html